Speedway: Elements cut racing short

Rain followed the thunder of the returning Super Stocks to call an early end to racing at Baypark Speedway on Saturday night. With the programme nearly half completed, light drizzle developed into steady rain and track conditions became too slippery. Already the Super Stock Invitation event, with a field of 19 cars representing six tracks, was taking shape as a duel between New Zealand No3, Hawke's Bay's Shane Penn and Gold Coast-based former New Zealand champ Wayne Hemi, both contracted at the Palmerston North track.

Penn won the opening 15-lapper from the front row of the grid while Hemi set the fastest lap on a greasy track while working through traffic from mid-pack to finish second ahead of Rotorua's Bryce Steiner. The sprint cars also had a slippery track for their only race with a close-matched front running quartet headed by Tokoroa's James Dahm who led home Rodney Wood, Colin Entwisle and Bradley Tyrrell. Karl Hanlon won the only super saloon car race of the evening and Rotorua's Mike Herbert took the stock car heat race while the Youth Ministocks were able to complete their programme and the feature race win went to Jayden Steiner.

Baypark Speedway results:

Youth Mini Stocks: Heat 1 : Jayden Steiner 18m; 2 Matt Neilsen 47m; 3 Aidon Decke 88m. Heat 2: 1 Shaun McHardy 89r; 2 Decke; 3 Sam Waddell 11m. Feature: 1 Steiner; 2 Bradley Marsh 67m; 3 Jason Gillon 43m.

Stock Cars: Heat 1: 1 Mike Herbert 52r; 2 Stacy Keach 97m; 3 Joseph Carter 18m.

Super Saloons: Heat 1: 1 Karl Hanlon 76m; 2 John Roberts 43m; 3 Gavin Dyer 88m.

Sprint Cars: Heat 1: James Dahm 6m; 2 Rodney Wood 51m; 3 Colin Entwisle 8m.

Super Stocks: Heat 1: 1 Shane Penn 3nz; 2 Wayne Hemi 591p; 3 Bryce Steiner 118r.